


The Captain & The Hourglass

by meteornight



Series: That Horrible Time War Fic [1]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who - Various Authors
Genre: Book 06: Alien Bodies (Doctor Who), Canon-Typical Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Celestial Intervention Agency - Freeform, Found Family, Gallifreyan Culture (Doctor Who), Gen, Genocide, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Not Canon Compliant, POV TARDIS, Pre-Time War (Doctor Who), Sentient TARDIS, Time War (Doctor Who), War Crimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25446646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteornight/pseuds/meteornight
Summary: Agent Roaldin has broken a few rules. Not enough to warrant the oubliette, but enough to have to deal with the consequences. But with war on the horizon, even the most unorthodox agent's skills are needed. The young agent must balance the will of the Time Lords and the whims of his hearts as he kills in the name of the family he should not have: His wife, his illegally-loomed daughter, and maybe, just maybe, a battle TARDIS.
Series: That Horrible Time War Fic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843102
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	The Captain & The Hourglass

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a companion piece and prequel to [Guardian](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7511593).  
> The title is from "The Captain And The Hourglass" by Laura Marling.

> _"The emotional immaturity of the sub-battle TARDIS is somewhat legendary, although most lack the knowledge and vocabulary to describe it as such. A common descriptor used by humans unlucky enough to witness such models in action was 'world-ending sadism'. As for the battle TARDIS, none live to speak on the matter."_

  
\- "TARDISes Beyond Type 101" by Lady Kiereyna

* * *

  
Agent Roaldin had been advised against his choice of TARDIS several times, but showed no sign of changing his mind. He was told to pick an older one: They were less willful, more predictable. He was told to pick something newer: They were better trained and more powerful, despite being more difficult to interface with. At this point, reasons were running low, but his peers stuck to it, if only to win the argument.  
Agent Kiereyna was keeping pace as well as he could in his most recent regeneration, his newer, shorter legs struggling to match Roaldin's stride. He hadn't been invited to accompany Agent Roaldin to the hangar, but he did anyway. Long missions together could make anyone all the more adamant in their insufferability. Roaldin supposed that this was what he deserved for mentioning the matter to Kiereyna at all.  
"She's just as merciless as the rest of her Type," Kiereyna told him. "If she feels no remorse, it's likely she might betray you."  
Kiereyna had always been too keen on discussing TARDIS models. He was well-known for switching up, down, and across Types, always looking for something better rather than seeking out the strengths in his machines. Roaldin had never liked that about him.  
"She’s not quite as heartless as the others. That's enough for me."  
Kiereyna knew full well that when something was good enough for Roaldin, he settled for it, whether or not that could truly be considered 'settling' at all.  
So that settled it.

Roaldin unlocked the doors of the ship and stepped inside, unsure of what to expect. Judging from the appearance, it wasn't quite a standard model, but it was close. The hexagonal console was placed in the center of the room, the space around it raised exactly five centimeters off the main floor. The walls were a consistent white, marked only by glowing roundels, each placed at equal intervals around the room. The floor and ceiling were both colored in a dull grey.  
Roaldin stepped up and placed a hand on the controls, reaching out in greeting. "Hello. Agent Roaldin, Celestial Intervention Agency. A pleasure to work with you."  
He received only a disinterested silence in reply.  
"Do you have a name?" He had heard that some TARDISes before her chose names for themselves, but the Type 120 line was unfamiliar to him.  
"No sir."  
"Would you like a name?"   
"#347 is sufficient."  
"Okay." Somehow, he found it odd.  
Roaldin had never had a TARDIS of his own before. He had always been part of a team, never alone. This was new. She was new. He didn't know how to run a new ship. Her manner and her mind were both so stiff, grating. Behind her flat affect there seemed to be nothing, quite unlike the ships he had piloted before. There was no hum of activity, no spark of curiosity, only a thin undercurrent of thought. Her mere presence made him uncomfortable, but she was the best. She could be the best ship for him, he could feel it.  
Working alone was not his forte. He wanted someone to work with, a partner. And beneath the inhuman facade, he could see potential in her. #347 could be someone well worth working with.


End file.
